The Buffalo Sabres falling to the ninth overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles in late June is not the best situation for the club, as there appears to be a consensus that there is a drop-off after the top five of this draft class, but that does not mean Buffalo will be unable to select a player that could help them down the road.
Last year, the Sabres traded down from 11th to 14th with San Jose and acquired a second-round pick (which was dealt to Washington for Beck Malenstyn). The Sharks used Buffalo’s pick to select defenseman Sam Dickinson, while the Sabres chose Konsta Helenius.
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The ninth overall pick one year ago was made by the Calgary Flames, and they selected defenseman Zayne Parekh. Selecting at #9 is a crapshoot, but it is still possible for the Sabres to get someone who could be a productive player.
Here are the 9th overall picks from the last five drafts:
2024: Zayne Parekh(Calgary) – The 19-year-old led the OHL in defensive scoring with 107 points (33 goals, 74 assists) with the Windsor Spitfires. He played one game at the end of the season with Calgary and is expected to play in the NHL next season.
2023: Nate Danielson(Detroit) – Danielson played four seasons in the WHL and graduated to the American Hockey League this season, where he scored 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists). Based on the Red Wings’ slow developmental process, it is likely he will play next season with Grand Rapids.
2022: Matthew Savoie(Buffalo) – This pick may already be considered a failure by Sabres fans, since Savoie was dealt to Edmonton in the Ryan McLeod deal. The 21-year-old spent all of last season with Bakersfield in the AHL and scored 19 goals, earning a four-game look with the Oilers.
2021: Dylan Guenther(Arizona) – The Coyotes hit the jackpot at #9 with the selection of Guenther, who split time between the WHL and NHL as a 20-year-old, scored 18 goals in 45 games last season, signed a seven-year contract with Utah, and scored 27 goals this season with the Hockey Club.
2020: Marco Rossi(Minnesota) – Selected one pick after the Sabres selected Jack Quinn, the Austrian-born center had complications after contracting COVID in 2020, but after spending most of 2023 in the AHL, Rossi has scored 20+ goals for the Wild the last two seasons.
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